Mmm...cake. Who could possibly say no to these lovely rainbow cakes? I think Caron Yarn struck gold with their delectable Cake yarn line. Fiber fanatics across North America have been racing to clear the shelves of this new, wool blend yarn with yummy names like Faerie Cake, Buttercream, Blueberry Cheesecake, Macaron, and so many more. (Is anyone else hungry? For some reason I foresee eating cake in my future...can't imagine why.)
In fact, while you're making this blanket, you might as well make the cake that inspired it, pictured above. The photo and recipe are from The Food Network. Enjoy your cake and your blanket! The perfect way to have your cake and eat it, too!
Layer Cake Blanket Pattern - Rectangle Granny Stripe
Materials
Hook: U.S. Size K
Note: This pattern is worked corner to corner, in diagonal fashion, while holding two strands of yarn together as you go. Feel free to follow what I've done or to make yours as small or as large as you'd like. Once you get it started, it's an easy peasy granny stripe. Just look out a bit at the end of the rows once you start your decrease on either side. It works up very quickly.
With Bumbleberry and Gelato held together, chain 5 to begin.
Working into the 5th chain from the hook, work 3 DC, CH 1, 1 DC.
Row 1
CH 4 and turn your work. 3 DC into the CH space from the previous row, (3 DC, CH 1, 1 DC) into the next space, which is your corner.
Rows 2-39
CH 4 and turn. 3 DC into each space to the end. In last space, 3 DC, CH 1, 1 DC. By repeating this row, you will keep increasing your blanket on both ends until it is the width you'd like. Repeat this row for desired width. For my blanket, I did 38 rows width and then started the decrease on this side.
Row 40CH 4 and turn. Do not make 3 DC in the chain space. Instead, place 3 DC in the next space. This starts the "decrease" on this side so that this side will not get any wider. At the end of the row, do 3 DC, CH 1, 1 DC in last space.
Rows 41-60
CH 4 and turn, 3 DC into CH space, 3 DC in every space across to the end. In 2nd to last space, make 3 DC, CH 1, and 1 DC in very last space. At row 60, I started the decrease on the length of the blanket. From this point on, you decrease on both ends of your rows. The two sides of your blanket will slowly meet together at the opposite corner of where you started. Very cool! At the very last row, CH 4, and end by doing 1 DC in the last spot.
Border
What better way to "top" your layer cake than with buttercream icing, right? I always want the border for my afghans to provide a strong visual frame for the blanket, so I decided to go with this creamy, light color as a good contrast to the many shades of my stripes. And for the final row, I ended with a soft swirl of a shell stitch to mimic the yummy swirls of buttercream frosting on a cake. (And, as fate would have it, I happened to run out of yarn right where the arrow is pictured above! Can anyone else relate to this! LOL. I have since bought more yarn and completed the blanket, but I had to share the frustration of the yarn ending before the project!)
I started the border by doing a round of DC clusters around the entire blanket. I did 2DC between every row. This made a nice base for me to start my main edging round. I used two strands of Blueberry Cheesecake held together for the DCs.
Row 2
Another round of 2 DC clusters, this time using two strands of Buttercream.
Row 3
My final border row is a modified shell stitch. Start with a slip stitch (SS) between a set of clusters, then CH1, skip 1, DC-CH2-DC in the next stitch, CH1, skip 1, SS, DC-CH2-DC, and so forth, all the way around.
Color Recipe
I think the fun of this project - or any crochet project, actually - is in making it your own. Choosing your colors, choosing the order you want them to flow into one another - that's when it's playtime! And time to let your own creativity fly. But...if you want to recreate what I did here or use it as a jumping off point, then here is my color pattern.The blanket was made holding two strands of Caron Cakes yarn together while crocheting. I wanted purple as a base, so I always used one strand of Bumbleberry paired with various others throughout. Here is the order of the yarn progression:
- Bumbleberry and Gelato
- Bumbleberry and Blueberry Cheesecake
- Bumbleberry and Cherry Chip
- Bumbleberry and Gelato again
- Bumbleberry and Rainbow Sprinkles
- Border row 1: Two different shades of Blueberry Cheesecake held together
- Border row 2-3: Two different shades of Buttercream held together
Have fun with your yummy cake yarn!
